Wheel positioning device for toy trains



April' 11, 1950 J. L. STUDER WHEEL POSITIONING DEVICE FOR TOY TRAINS Filed Feb. 13, 1948 Patented Apr. 11, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WHEEL PUSITIONING DEVICE FOR TOY TRAINS Julian L. Studer, St. Paul, Minn.

Application February 13, 1948, Serial No. 8,084

My invention relates to an improvement in wheel positioning device for toy trains and the like wherein it is desired to provide a device for simplifying the operation of placing a toy train upon its tracks.

Considerable diiiiculty is often experienced in aligning the various wheels of a toy train upon its tracks. Toy railroad cars are usually equipped with two trucks each having two parallel axles bearing flanged wheels at opposite ends thereof; These trucks are pivotally connected to the toy cars so that the cars may pass over a curved track with a minimum of difficulty. As the wheels are often partially concealed by the trucks and as the trucks and wheels are located beneath the toy cars, it is difiicult to properly align the wheels and place them upon the track. This difficulty is accentuated when the cars must be placed upon a track located at some distance from the operator. Furthermore, small children have a particularly difficult time due to their natural lack of coordination.

It is the object of the present invention to pro-' vide a device which may be placed over a railroad track of usual construction and which is designed to support on or more railroad cars. This device includes slanting portions which tend to guide the wheels of a car into alignment. The device also is designed to fit in predetermined position on the tracks. When the wheels of the .can'have been aligned by my device the car may be rolled from the device directly upon the track.

A feature of the invention lies in the fact that my device may be used to properly align the wheels of any vehicle mounted on tracks. For example toy streetcars, automobiles, scooters, model trains, or any vehicle which may run on a track may take the plac of the railroad cars mentioned. Thus in speaking of toy railroad cars, I mean to include these other vehicles.

A feature of the present invention lies in the provision of a wheel aligning device for toy railroad cars and the like which extends between the wheel supporting tracks and which is positioned in fixed relation thereto. This means includes a pair of elongated shoulders which are located generally above the wheel supporting tracks. These shoulders engage the wheels in the same manner as do the tracks when the wheels are aligned. As a result when the wheels are in alignment the car may be moved oil the end of the device and will drop directly upon the wheel supporting tracks therebeneath.

A featureof the present invention lies in the Claims. (Cl. 1'04- -264) provision of cam means for guiding thewheels u 2 into alignment. By slanting the portions of my device toward the wheel aligning shoulders the wheels will be guided into alignment upon movement of the car on the positioning device, the wheels actually sliding laterally into alignment. An added feature of the present invention lies in the provision of a tray like support for one or more toy railroad cars which includes upwardly inclined flanged edges on either side of the wheel aligning shoulders. When the wheels of the toy car are placed on these inclined flanges, the weight of the car tends to slide the wheels down th incline until they engage the wheel aligning shoulders.

An added feature of the present invention lies other electrical insulatin material, the center portion of the device may rest upon the center rail. My device operates efficiently with either a two rail or a three rail track system.

These and other objects and novel features of my invention will be more clearly and fully set forth in the following specification and claims.

i In the-drawings forming a part of my specifica t on:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of my wheel positioning device in place upon a track.

Figure 2 is an end view of my device in place upon a track showing the position of the wheels of the toy car thereupon.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing the position of a pair of connected wheels before thewheels of the car are aligned.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a pair of toy car supporting trucks as they might appear when.

placed upon the wheel aligning device before the wheels swing into alignment.

Figure 5 is an end view of a modified form of construction.

The wheel aligning device A illustrated in the drawings is extremely simple in form and may be inexpensively manufactured. In preferred form my device is formed of plastic or other insulating materials, although it may be formed of sheet metal if desired.

My wheel positioning device A comprises an elongated body of material including a pair of joined inwardly and upwardly extending portions Ill and H which are connected at a center apex l2. Along the outer edges of the portions l0 and l l I provide upwardly and outwardly extending shoulder portions l3 and [4. These shoulder portions generally simulate in outline the shape of one side of a rail. Short generally flat portions l5 and I6 may adjoin the shoulders l3 and H to accommodate the body of the wheel adjacent the flanged edge thereof. Upwardly and outwardly flaring side flanges l1 and I9 emanate from the flattened portions and IS.

The shoulders l3 and M are located virtually above the spaced wheel supporting rails 29 and 2| of a toy railroad track. The rails and 2! are connected by spaced connecting elements 22 which hold the rails in proper relation. A center rail 23 may be provided if desired intermediate the rails 20 and 2 I.

The members A are provided with elongated notches 24 and 25 just beneath the shoulders l3 and 14 to accommodate the rails 20 and 21. Thus the wheel aligning device may be mounted on the rails to extend longitudinally thereof and the grooves or notches 24 and 25 properly locate the shoulders l3 and i4 relative to the rails 20 and 2|. The center portion or apex if. of the body is slightly above the level of the center rail 23 and may'rest thereupon if desired. If the device A is formed of sheet metal or the like, it is preferable that the apex l2 of the body be spaced slightly above the center rail so as to avoid short circuiting the track between the center rail and the outer rails.

The railroad cars such as B are usually provided with a pair of pivotally supported trucks 26 and 21 which support two pairs of wheels. The truck 26 is shown supporting two parallel axles 29 and 30 which support wheels 3| and 32. The truck 21 is shown as embodying a pair of axles 33 and 34 which support wheels 35 and 35. It is normally difiicult to properly align the trucks so that all of the wheels engage the tracks, and it is this difficulty which the present device is designed to eliminate.

In Figure 3 I disclose the axle 29 supporting the wheels 3i and 32 out of proper alignment with the tracks. It will be noted that the flange of the wheel 3! is resting upon the inclined portion IQ of the positioning device and that the flange 32 is resting upon the inclined flange l9. As a result the weight of the toy car resting upon the wheels tends to slide the wheels into the lowest position on the positioning device, at which time the wheels will be aligned. By moving the toy car slightly on the positioning device, the wheels will slide until the opposed flanges on the wheels 3| and 32 engage against the shoulders l3 and I4. When thus engaged the car can not be moved laterally without lifting the same.

As a result by placing a toy car on the tray like positioning the device A and by moving the same laterally of the tracks all of the wheels will slide into position with the flanges thereof engaging against the shoulders l3 and i4. Lateral movement of the car may be continued until all of the wheels are aligned. At this time the wheel flanges engage against the shoulders I3 and i4 and no further lateral movement may take place without lifting the car.

In actual practice, the wheels of the car may be often aligned by dropping the car upon the positioning device A. The incline of the portions of the device adjacent the shoulders tends to guide the wheels into proper alignment with little difficulty. When the wheels are aligned the car may be moved oil the end of the positioning device onto the tracks. Much time and eflort is thus saved in placing a derailed car on the tracks.

In Figure 5 of the drawings I disclose a wheel positioning apparatus B which is formed of sheet material and merely pressed into proper shape. This device is virtually identical with the positioning device A, with the exception of the fact that the cross sectional thickness of the positioning device remains constant throughout its width. The device C includes upwardly and inwardly inclined portions 31 and 39 which join along a central apex 40 above the center rail 23. Upwardly extending shoulders 4| and 42 are provided inwardly of the rails 20 and 2|. Outwardly and upwardly inclined portions 43 and 44 adjoin the shoulders ll and 42 and merge into upwardly and outwardly inclined edge flanges 45 and 46. The shoulders 4| and 42 engage inwardly of the tracks and hold the device in proper location upon the rails.

It will be noted that the device is easy to place upon the rails as the undersurface of the device tends to guide the device into fixed position and once the device is in fixed position it will not come out of place unless it is lifted. The operation of the positioning device B is identical to that previously described.

I prefer that the device be sufliciently long to accommodate one complete car and the portion of another. As a result each car may be placed upon the positioning device partially moved onto the track, hooked to another car, and the other car may be properly positioned. Thus each car in turn may have its wheels aligned as the cars are connected in a series.

In accordance with the patent statutes, I have described the principles of construction and operation of my wheel positioning device for toy trains, and while I have endeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that obvious changes may be made within the scope of the following claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. A wheel positioning device for use with toy railroad cars comprising a tray designed to overlie the tracks, a pair of elongated shoulder on said tray designed to overlie said tracks, and

cam means on said tray adjacent said shoulders for guiding the wheels of the toy cars into alignment on said shoulders.

2. A device for aligning the flanged wheels of a toy railroad car comprising a tray like body designed to support the car, a pair of parallel shoulders on said tray designed to engage the flanged wheels when said wheels are aligned, and inclined portions on said tray adjacent said shoulders for guiding said wheels onto said shoulders.

3. A wheel positioning device for use in aligning the wheels of a toy railroad car and the like comprising an elongated body having a series of parallel shoulders spaced to engage the wheels of the car, and upwardly inclined portions outwardly of said shoulders for guiding said wheels toward said shoulders.

4. A wheel positioning device for use in aligning the flanged wheels of a toy railroad car and the like, comprising an elongated body having a pair of substantially parallel shoulders thereon engageable with the flanged wheels in aligned 5. A car positioning device for aligning the wheels of a toy railroad car and the like with its tracks comprising a tray like body, a pair of elongated grooves on the under surface of said body designed to accommodate the tracks, a pair of elongated parallel shoulders on the upper surfac of said body above said grooves, and upwardly inclined flanges on said body outwardly of said shoulders.

6. A wheel aligning device for use in aligning the wheels of a toy railroad car with its tracks, the device including a tray like body designed to rest upon the tracks, means on said body for holding said body in fixed relation to said tracks, a pair of parallel shoulders on the upper surface of said body above the tracks, said shoulders being engageable with the wheels of the car, and upwardly and outwardly inclined flanges on the sid edges of said body.

'7. The structure described in claim 6 in which the tray like body is formed of insulating material.

8. The structure described in claim 6 and in- 6 eluding upwardly and inwardly inclined tray portions between said parallel shoulders.

9. The structure described in claim 6 and including a central tray portion between said houlders which slopes upwardly and inwardly from a point adjacent each shoulder to a center point therebetween.

10. The structure described in claim 6 in which the center portion of the tray is elevated above the level of the tracks.

JULIAN L. STUDER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,821,880 Connick Sept. 1, 1931 1,888,760 Flower Nov. 22, 1932 

